Eparker24

1) I believe HC Davos will continue to slide and maintain a firm hold on last place. 2) I'm fairly new to the league, but I did a media spot on it and my replies reflected that there has been unusually high trades this season. 3) Nathan MacKinnon for sure. 4) Evgeni Komarov but its a friendly rivalry. 5) Rhett Stoffiday to add a better netminder to our team. 6) I feel good about my player's growth and I hope that it starts reflect on the scoreboard and in our team's standing.

Trade Talk (Oct. 31st) Happy Halloween! This article will review and discuss the recent trades that have taken place in the VHLM and the effects that they have on players, teams, and the league overall. I will begin with the most recent of trades and work backwards. I will be excluding trades that do not involve any players since the true weight of those trades won’t be known until seasons later. Oct 30th, 2018- Las Vegas Aces and Saskatoon Wild: This trade is a goalie switch with Las Vegas receiving Kevin Weekes and S64 Saskatoon 2nd round pick and Saskatoon receiving Brick Wahl. After 18 games Wahl has a record of 7-9-2, with a .893 save percentage, and 3.13 goals averaged against. After 18 games Weekes has a record of 10-8-0, a save percentage of .896, and 2.21 goals averaged against. On paper alone this looks like a steal for the Las Vegas Aces. Both goaltenders have basically the same stats with Weekes edging out Wahl in all the categories, but the key is the growth of Wahl. He is averaging the most growth out of any goaltender in the VHLM right now and will more than likely be a top pick in the VHL draft. The possibility of what Wahl can become for the Wild makes this a trade that needs to be revisited later in the season to see who the real winner of this trade is. Until Wahl blossoms into a star this trade seems like an immediate win for Las Vegas. Oct 29th, 2018- Halifax 21st and Las Vegas Aces: This trade, that focused on defensemen, has Halifax acquiring Evgeni Komarov and S64 Las Vegas 7th round pick, and Las Vegas acquiring Juri Rykonen, S64 Halifax 4th round pick, and S65 Halifax 2nd round pick. In 18 games Komarov had 1 goal and 9 assists for 10 points, a plus/minus of +10, and 53 hits. In 18 games Rykonen has 1 goal and 8 assists for 9 points, a plus/minus of +3, and 54 hits. Similar to the first trade discussed this trade also looks lopsided from the stats perspective. It seems that Las Vegas has again robbed a team of picks for basically the same players. Also, similar to the first play the key is in Komarov’s growth. While not as great as Brick Wahl’s growth Komarov’s is still noticeable. If he continues on this path he is a great shut down defensemen to be on the top pair for a team. This is reflected in his +10 stat showing that he is defensively minded and responsible while he is on the ice. Las Vegas seems to be giving away players with lots of potential to grab draft picks for the coming years. Unlike the first trade though, Las Vegas has the depth on defense for this trade. They still have a great top pair in Kachur and Parker while adding Rykonen to their second pair. In order to decide a clear winner this will take more time because we will have to see which players these picks become. If I had to pick a winner now I would chose Las Vegas because they were able to off-load extra depth in exchange for good draft picks. Oct. 28th, 2018- Halifax 21st and Oslo Storm: This trade and the next trade that will be talked about point to one thing, Oslo is going for the tank this year. In this trade Halifax acquires Jesse Wilson and Oslo acquires S64 Halifax 1st round pick. In 17 games Wilson has 5 goals and 20 assists for 25 points, a plus/minus of -3, and 47 hits. He leaves a struggling Oslo team and joins the most promising team in the VHLM. He was Oslo’s highest point scorer and is now Halifax’s third highest. There isn’t too much to say about this trade. Halifax was able to gain a top forward in the push for the playoffs and Oslo is able to gain another pick to aid them in their rebuild next draft. I think this is a win for both teams with an edge going to Halifax because I believe that Wilson was worth more than just a first round pick. Oct. 24th, 2018- Oslo Storm and Saskatoon Wild: As I mentioned with the previous trade this is again an indication that Oslo is embracing the tank. Oslo acquires S64 Saskatoon 1st round pick, S64 Halifax 2nd round pick, and S64 Saskatoon 3rd round pick and Saskatoon acquires Anthony Dabarno and S64 Oslo 6th round pick. In 17 games Dabarno has 5 goals and 11 assists for 16 points, a plus/minus of +11, only 8 penalty minutes, and 25 hits. Dabarno is a decent scorer but really shines in the discipline he shows on the ice. With a plus/minus of +11 and only 8 penalty minutes he is the type of player you want on the ice during crucial moments. The Wild gave up a haul for this forward, but with the Wild needing a push to get them into the upper echelon of the VHLM Dabarno could be exactly the player they are looking for. Similar to the previous trade we will need to see the results of this season’s play and also what these picks become in order to fully grade this trade. On the surface, it seems both teams got things that they need, but in my personal opinion if the Wild fall short of the cup Oslo takes this trade. Oct. 23rd, 2018- Yukon Rush and Las Vegas Aces: The last of the trades involving players is the smallest trade. Yukon acquire Jack Lockwood and Las Vegas acquires S65 Yukon 5th round pick. This trade on the surface seems like a great move by Las Vegas. In 19 games Lockwood has 0 points, a plus/minus of -3, 8 penalty minutes, and 3 hits. Unless Lockwood starts producing anything this will be a lopsided trade because as long as Las Vegas selects a player with that pick that positively contributes to the team they will be better than Lockwood. There may be more to this trade that I do not see but from my limited perspective it leaves me scratching my head at Yukon. 1038

Yukon 4-2

66. Yukon Rush 67. Halifax 21st 68. Ottawa Lynx 69. Halifax 21st

Early Season Report on Eric Parker The Las Vegas Aces blue liner has been adjusting to the VHLM. In thirteen games Parker has 3 goals and 3 assists for a total of 6 points. Parker was selected in the 4th round of the VHLM draft last month and is looking for every opportunity to prove himself. On the Las Vegas Aces defensive depth chart, he is ranked third making him the second pair D option for the Aces. There were obvious growing pains for Parker seeing that many of his points have come during the last 4 games, but this is showing the young blue liner’s ability to adapt to the game and his position on the ice. Parker has done a decent job of balancing his game while having 6 points he also has a plus/minus of +3. With that being said out of all the teams in the VHLM only two have a negative goal differential Las Vegas and Oslo. Las Vegas has to begin to create more shot opportunities if they are looking to climb the rankings again. This means that Parker is going to have to take more shots. After 13 games Parker has 24 shots putting at 1.82 shots per game. Averaging right under 2 shots per game is not going to help Las Vegas’ scoring drought. Parker’s problem is that he sometimes holds onto the puck too long looking for the perfect scoring chance. Part of playing in the VHLM is getting pucks towards the net. It will add pressure to the net minder while also adding to the opportunity for juicy rebounds for Parker’s line mates. Parker’s hockey IQ is great but the downside to it is that sometimes the right thing is very simple and often overlooked. There have been some great highlight reel goals and assists from the youngster, but in order to put more points on the board and help the team out overall Parker needs to throw the puck on net more. Parker’s defensive side of his game is good. As previously mentioned he has a +3 and has not allowed for more than a -1 stat in any of his games. He is responsible when he is on the ice and has been reliable as a defender when his team needs him to be. As a mid sized defensemen Parker needs to assert himself more physically on the ice. In 13 games, he has only 15 hits averaging just over 1 hit a game. Parker needs to be better about finishing his checks and wearing down the opponent physically with his presence. This will in turn lead to more offensive opportunities for his team and help Las Vegas in their struggles. Parker is obviously focused on the VHLM season right now but is excited about the possibility of representing his country at the VWJC. He is very passionate about asserting his presence as an American hockey player. He is very excited about joining a young and exciting team of Americans who will look to bring home the gold for their country. 513

Ottawa 4-2

Game 23 Winner: Ottawa Game 24 Winner: Yukon Game 25 Winner: Halifax Game 26 Winner: Yukon

1) I believe Brick Wahl will have the best career. Mainly because he is consistent in his TPE earning every week and also because he will have every opportunity to prove himself since he is the starting Goalie on a competitive Las Vegas Team. 2) I think it is a very well put together page. My only suggestion would be that maybe some of the more obscure player traits such as Strength and Leadership could have some descriptions on how they will affect your player during simulations. 3) It would be fun to play with Ryan Peace. I feel that we could have good chemistry with my play making abilities and his ability to finish. 4) It would be nice to try to expand to the southern market in America. 5) I say that the first four picks will be in this order; Ryan Sullivan Jr., Ryan Zabby, Gucci Garrop, and Bo Axelsson. 6) The Helsinki Titans for sure!

Getting Drafted Eric Parker was hopefully paying attention to the VHLM S63 draft waiting to hear his name called out. He was an interesting pick to say the least. It was very obvious that he wasn’t going to go in the first round or the second round. Even the third round was more than likely out of reach without a team really stretching because of a need on the blue line. He was starting to lose interest in the draft when all of a sudden, he was drafted in the 4th round by the Las Vegas Aces. He was very excited but also knew that now the real work would begin. He talked to his agent, representatives from the team, said goodbye to his family, and head out to Reno for the beginning of training camp. He was not super familiar with the big city lifestyle especially not a city as wild as Las Vegas but he assured his family and mentors that he wouldn’t lose focus on the prize, the VHL. He knew as a 4th round selection that he was going to have to work hard to make sure that he was given the ice time he wanted. Gone were the days where he was the only superb talent on the ice and knew that he was going to be guaranteed ice time just because of his natural skill. Every piece of ice time he was going to get only if he deserved it, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. The Surprise of Free Agency While traveling and getting settled into Reno for soon the beginning of training camp to begin he was the news that the Las Vegas Aces had landed the very popular and coveted Brick Wahl for their top goaltender. This was great news! With such a solid goaltender backing him up he had a renewed surge of confidence. He was going to be able to play faster and looser knowing that there was solid backing behind him. He was obviously going to defensively responsible but not every little mistake would end up in the back of the net. The next big free agent signing by the team came with a more bittersweet feeling. The Las Vegas Aces had landed another great player in Evgeni Komarov. This was a great signing for the team providing another great player to be added to the roster, but it meant that there was even more stiff competition for ice time now. Parker knew he already had to work hard but with a player of Komarov’s stature it would be even more difficult to gain top ice time minutes every night. This only fueled Parker’s fire because he had even more to prove to the front office and coaches of the team. This week has been a whirlwind of events from the anticipation and relief of the draft to the bittersweetness of free agency. Either way Parker is loving the beginning of his VHLM and VHL adventure and nothing at all beats being able to professionally play hockey! 500+ Words

1) The initial welcome was very friendly and helpful to understand all the new stuff. Now that I've gotten more comfortable I've started reaching out to other people with questions and everyone is still very friendly and helpful. 2)Possibly expand the different things you can buy in the player store. It shouldn't be overpowering but it does seem like the inventory is a bit limited. 3)I did read it and it was very helpful in laying out everything that I could and should be doing as a player. 4)Now that I've been drafted I want to play top minutes every night and make an immediate impact on the ice for my new team! 5)I'm a little biased and would say the Las Vegas Aces! I think they drafted really well, there are a lot of steadily improving players, and the team chemistry is good. If I had to choose another team I might choose the Yukon Rush because they have a lot of good weapons on their team. 6b) I really like the Las Vegas Aces! There is a lot of competition among ourselves that helps us all improve. I also think that we have a really good team chemistry to utilize.

Name: Eric Parker Age: 17 DOB: January 25th, 2001 Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 195lbs Handedness: Right Hometown: Raleigh, NC, USA Early Years Eric Parker was born on January 25th, 2001 to Charlie and Wilma Parker in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has one older sister and spent the beginning few years in this area. Both of his parents were hard working blue collar individuals who made sure they were always able to provide for their two children and help them accomplish their dreams. Eric spent the first few years of his life in Raleigh until his father’s job brought him and his family to Roanoke, Virginia a smaller city in the middle of Virginia. This new are of the country had its closest professional hockey team 3 hours away. At an early age Parker was a multi-sport athlete playing every kind of sport as long as it allowed him to be competitive. He played football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and even wrestled when he was younger. Eventually each sport would lose its appeal because it never fully intrigued him. He loved the competitive nature but never felt fully attached to each sport that he played. Finally, one day he saw a billboard in his city for the youth hockey league and knew he had to try it out. He begged his parents to buy him some equipment and let him try out for the team. His parents were reluctant because of his tendency to pick up and drop a sport on a whim, but once they saw him out there on the ice something felt different. Not only was there a passion for the sport that Parker had never shown before, but also, he was naturally gifted at many of the aspects of the sport. Early Teenage Years As Parker began to get older he also began to get better at the sport. Hockey is not very popular in this part of the country so there were no competitive school teams that he could play for. There were only club teams where each city would have barely enough skaters to fill out a team and often players had to rotate between positions. Cities would play each other with their skeleton crew rosters and most of the athletes were barely even able to skate. Except for Eric Parker. He had a natural giftedness for the sport that was obvious to everyone who saw him play. Other teams were specifically making their game plan around him so that they could limit his ability to make plays, but that still didn’t stop him. This helped Parker start to gain notoriety around the regional hockey market. He was still having a hard time breaking into the national and international market but his popularity was growing. That is until his father lost his job. His father was a local business owner and his mother was an elementary school teacher. His father’s business folded leaving his father unexpectedly unemployed with his mother being the sole household income provider. Because of this unexpected change in income the family was forced to cut out no essential spending to help out and everyone was expected to do this. Eric’s sister was forced to stop dancing a passion she had for a while. Eric’s mother had to sell her keyboard and other instruments that she loved playing to help out. Sadly, Eric had to stop playing hockey because of the cost it put on his family to travel and pay the other expenses. During this time Eric frantically worked any odd job he could find. He mowed lawns, helped people move, dog sat, and even did some labor work for people who would pay him. These actions sparked something in Eric. He realized that he cared so much about hockey that he was willing to do whatever it took to be able to play again. His parents noticed this as well. Eric’s father was still looking for a job when Eric’s old coach came to see him. The team had done awful this past season without Parker and the coach was willing to do whatever he could to see that Eric was able to play again. Eric’s father wasn’t one to take handouts and the coach knew that so he had another idea. He offered Eric’s father a job. The coach’s passion was for hockey and in order to be able to travel with the team he had his own business chain where he was his own boss. The coach was about to open up another location and needed someone to run it. Eric’s father accepted the offer and Eric was able to go back to playing the next season. Late Teenage Years With everything being fixed financially Eric Parker was able to start playing hockey again. The buzz of Parker coming back led to his popularity rising again. He got back on the ice and was a natural again. He was able to rack up the points and show his flashy ability of play while leading his team to tournament win after tournament win. This helped his begin to gain notice by the right people. Certain scouts from the CHL, colleges, and other programs reached out to him. This led to Parker having to make a decision about where he was going to play next. After consulting his parents and coach Parker decided to go into the United States Hockey Development Program. Although this was a controversial decision everyone was supportive of it. Parker made it to the development program and this new culture hit him like a brick wall. He was no longer obviously the best player on the ice. He was already a dedicated player who was always looking to get better, but now it was obvious that he was going to have to work even harder. He was no longer given the ice time just because he was overly talented, but he was excited about that. Now he knew that if he was logging major ice time it was because he earned it. He made a name for himself although he did have some growing pains because of the new level of talent. VHLM Eric Parker was drafted in the 4th round of the VHLM draft by the Las Vegas Aces and is looking forward to how he can make an impact immediately for his team. Definitely keep a close eye on him as he will soon be one of the best offensive defensemen in the VHLM and soon the VHL.

Player Name: Eric Parker VHLM Team: Las Vegas Aces Cash you have: $1,500,000 Purchase: The First Generation Cost: $500,000 Cash Left: $1,000,000

F Scott Shawinganen @Rocketman04

Worst: Mercs Bronze: USA Silver: World Gold: Canada

I'm down to do this!

Name: Eric Parker Age: 17 Height: 6'1" Weight: 195 lb. Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina Strengths Movement with the Puck is outstanding! Parker has the ability to transition quickly from the defensive to the offensive zone with ease. He makes quick and responsible outlet passes and knows the right lanes to join in on the rush when he is able. There are still glimpses of his age with the occasional missed judgment, but overall he has great senses with puck transitions that will benefit him throughout his career. PowerPlay Presence is exactly what teams need! With most teams having a four forward and one defenseman powerplay unit this guy can run your top unit. He has the ability to gain the offensive zone, make accurate passes, keep the puck in the offensive zone, and even score when needed. His primary role is to help set-up the powerplay and make the key passes, but his shot is effective as well. Hockey IQ is growing exponentially! Parker doesn't just love hockey but is obsessed with the sport. He is always studying film, memorizing plays, and dissecting opponents. He did not grow up in a large hockey market but that didn't stop him from learning the most about the sport. These three strengths make him a prototypical new age offensive defenseman who can move the puck as well as forwards and make crucial offensive plays. His play is flashy and exciting meaning that it will put butts in seats for all games that fans know he will be at. He will produce points by assisting the other players on the ice and helping them become better offensively as well. Weaknesses Defensive Responsibility needs improvement. His offensive side of the game is so impressive that often it impacts his defensive side. With his ability to join in the rush and create explosive offense it can leave open weak spots in the defense that a good team can capitalize on. He needs to tighten up and know exactly when it is appropriate to join the rush and create offense without sacrificing his defensive game as well. Physicality is lacking. Parker isn't small by any means but his game lacks a physical grit to it. It isn't a lack of toughness or durability just that he needs to overall be more physical. He needs to battle harder against the boards, finish through on checks, and make sure that opponents feel his presence on the ice during his shifts. He still can show off his offensive prowess but needs to improve physically to make his game more complete at the professional level. Mental Perseverance can be a downfall. Parker has a bad habit of not being able to move on from mistakes. When he misses an assignment, makes a bad pass, allows a goal, etc. he has a hard time getting over it. The marks of a great professional player isn't perfection but being able to move on from a mistake and learn from them. He is extremely hard on himself and will dwell too long on mistakes. This overall negatively affects the team and in order to grow as a leader he needs to lead by example and move on from mistakes once they have been made. Each of these weaknesses are extremely coachable. Even though these are areas that need to be improved in if Parker wants to become a successful professional player he just needs to work hard at these. Good coaching and his ability as a hard working player will certainly see that these problems are solved. Overall I believe that Parker will be a top pair D-Man, who can effectively run the offense, and bring a flashy play to any team that he is apart of.

1) I think the league is really cool so far! I love creating a player and writing his storyline! 2) I think you guys are doing really well. Its confusing but immediately after I made a player people reached out to me to make sure I knew what to do and let me ask questions so I learned quickly. 3) I haven't read it yet but I'll have to check it out! 4) My goal is to have my player get drafted and make and impact on my team to help them win! 5) I'm still new but after taking a look at some of the teams I would have to say Ottawa just based on a gut pick! 6c) They would get a motivated player who's a very new age, mobile defenseman who's ready to move the puck well, join the rush, and quarterback the powerplay!

I have often been asked what it was like being into hockey where I was from. I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Absolutely no one is into hockey down there and when I was even born there wasn't a team within six hours of where I lived. I then moved to a small town in Virginia. Right after the move my old home town got a professional hockey team! It was bittersweet because I was excited that hockey had come to that area but I was no longer there to reap in the spoils of it. I was now in an even smaller hockey market with a team being three hours to the north and south of me but that was it. There was a local league that I began to play in there in my new hometown. We had barely enough players to make three teams so we basically played the same people over and over again. Players would have to be rotated through different positions because someone couldn't make it or they just gave up the sport. I was never really good at goalie but that’s what helped me become such a mobile defenseman. Some nights I had to play forward but when we had enough people I loved playing on the blue line. There’s nothing better than seeing everything on the ice when you’re in the opponent’s zone and setting up your teammate for the perfect one-timer. I became a duel threat where I could make sure that I handled the defensive zone, but I could also lead the rush when needed. Like I said though most of the time kids would just quit. That happened a lot. The popular sports were baseball and football where I was from. My last two years in high school our team went undefeated and won states twice. Guys who were good at sports were looked at as heroes and legends in our community. If they made it out and played in college or even pro you were a household name. For me no one cared that I was pretty good at hockey. I often was made fun of. People would say I was a fairy because hockey was just like figure skating. Others just straight up called me a communist and said that I hated America because I loved hockey so much. All that did though was just fuel me to train harder. I told myself that if I make it to the pros then there is no way that they won’t respect me. Regardless of the sport if you become one of the best then people have to recognize your game. So, I just worked harder and harder and harder until I started to get noticed by some colleges, the CHL, and the USHDP. My path has started to take me away from my small hockey market town and to places where people actually care that I can play hockey well. That still doesn’t take away my passion to prove everyone wrong in my old hometown. If I become good enough, even one of the greats, my hometown will finally respect and accept me. 526 words, using for PT week Oct. 8th-14th

I watch a Youtuber named TacTixHD who mentioned you guys in one of his recent videos.

Not so far I'm starting to get the hang of earning TPE and how to use it!

I watch a Youtuber named TacTixHD and in one of his recent videos he mentioned this website and how awesome it was so I decided to check it out.

Player Information Username: Eparker24 Player Name: Eric Parker Recruited By: Age: 17 Position: D Height: 73 in. Weight: 195 lbs. Birthplace: United States of America Player Page

I'm eparker24 and am very excited to start here on VHL!